Expert: Julia Booth - 11/5/2010

Question
I have a Royal Palm tom turkey on my property that was severely injured by roaming dogs-very lucky to be alive. But his injuries seem to have made him unable to fly well enough to roost in the oak tree with the other turkeys, and now he's roosting on my Explorer at night (not a pretty sight, especially when the other two turkeys join him).  He seems to jump up on the hood of the Explorer, then literally walks up the windshield to the luggage rack on top. Any ideas on some sort of alternative/homemade roost?  I live in northeast Texas, and it's soon going to be too cold to hose down the Explorer every morning, so I'd appreciate any ideas.  Thanks.

Answer
My answer kind of depends on whether or not this turkey is a pet, or if he's merely being raised to be eaten.

If it's a pet and you are emotionally attached to it, I would take it to the nearest qualified vet for an examination. It's possible that whatever is wrong with him, it will repair over time.

I'm assuming that is the case, since if he were being raised to be eaten, providing him with medical care would be sort of moot.

You could certainly build him a roost, and there are endless ways to do so. But the truth is, turkeys are very picky. They go where they please. There's no guarantee that he use anything you might build for him.

Is it possible for you to park the Explorer someplace else? Consider doing that and see where the turkey goes instead.

You said it's getting cold. Does it snow there? If so, where do the turkeys usually go at that point? Do you have some sort of enclosure?

Let me know and we will go from there,

Julia